Willard "Burry" Parker, Partner

Willard C. Parker, II, known as "Burry," began his law practice in 1973 with the firm’s predecessor, Miller, Wheeler, Thompson & Thompson. Burry’s practice has concentrated in the areas of civil litigation, real estate, zoning, and land use, as well as corporations and business acquisitions. His litigation practice has taken him to the Appellate Courts of Maryland on numerous occasions including two cases which reflect his creative approach to problem solving, namely: Worton Creek Marina, LLC v. Claggett, 381 Md. 499 (2004) and Millar v. Bowie, 115 Md. App. 682 (1997).

Born in Easton, Pennsylvania, Burry graduated from Brown University in 1969 and the University of Maryland School of Law in 1972. He was admitted to the Pennsylvania and Maryland Bars in 1973 and served briefly in the United States Air Force rising to the rank of Captain.

A past President of the Talbot County Bar Association, Burry has served for more than twenty-five years as a panel attorney for the Maryland State Bar Association Committee on the Resolution of Fee Disputes and has also acted as a volunteer lawyer for the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service, as well as Mid-Shore Pro-Bono.

Burry was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Living Classroom’s Foundation in Baltimore, Maryland and a long-time treasurer for Talbot County Ducks Unlimited, and he continues as an active volunteer lawyer for several local charities, including the Talbot County Historical Society and the St. Michaels Volunteer Fire Company. He also regularly assists the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy in matters related to the protection of land on the Eastern Shore.

He has served on the Board of Directors of Chesapeake Center, Inc., including two terms as Board Chairman, and is a principal in Eastern Shore Title Company, the Mid-Shore’s largest title insurance and real estate settlement agency.

Burry can be reached by email at wparker@parkercountslaw.com.

Ann Karwacki Goodman, Partner

Ann Goodman advises clients on the Mid-Shore on a broad range of planning issues. For over 20 years, her practice has focused on estate planning, tax planning, elder law and estate administration. As she concentrated on representation of the elderly, asset protection and planning for individuals with disabilities became a specialty. She drafts simple or complex documents to meet family and philanthropic goals and minimize taxation. Ann also assists with probate and trust administration, estate litigation and guardianship matters.

Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Ann spent her summers growing up in Kent County. She received her undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from University of Maryland at College Park. Her family relocated to the Eastern Shore in the early '80s. She graduated with honors from University of Baltimore School of Law and was admitted to the Bar in 1994. After serving as a law clerk to Judge Raymond Thieme in Anne Arundel County, she began practicing law in Easton in 1995.

Active in community service, Ann serves as President of the Chesapeake College Foundation Board and is appointed to the Queen Anne’s County Advisory Board to the Mid Shore Community Foundation. She rejoined the Elder Law Section Council of the Maryland State Bar Association in 2015. She is a past President of the Queen Anne’s County Bar and a Maryland Bar Foundation Fellow. She and her family reside in Ruthsburg in Queen Anne’s County.

Ann is a frequent lecturer on estate planning and wealth preservation. Please contact her at agoodman@parkercountslaw.com.

Jesse Hammock, Partner

Jesse’s practice is focused on counseling businesses and individuals on the Eastern Shore who are seeking to resolve a conflict either through negotiation or, if necessary, litigation. Jesse has extensive experience resolving disputes in a wide variety of disciplines including estates and trusts, planning and zoning, real estate, contract, business torts, employment issues (primarily for employers), guardianship and family law disputes. Prior to returning to the Eastern Shore where he grew up, Jesse practiced with one of Maryland’s oldest and largest law firms, litigating cases in Maryland’s trial and appellate courts, as well as in federal courts from New York to Florida, including Waterman Family Ltd. P’ship v. Boomer, 456 Md. 330 (2017); Auto-Owners Ins. Co. v. Southeast Floating Docks, Inc,, 571 F.3d 1143 (11th Cir. 2009); Higgenbotham v. Talisman Farm East, 2009 WL 10682243 (D. MD 2009); and Oak Crest Village v. Murphy, 379 Md. 229 (2004). In addition to his litigation practice, Jesse has a wealth of experience counseling employers regarding personnel policies and procedures, terminations and the enforceability of non-competition and non-solicitation agreements. During over seventeen years of practice, Jesse has represented Eastern Shore based banks, medical practices, municipalities, developers, environmental groups, farmers and families.

Jesse grew up on the Eastern Shore and graduated from Washington College in 1994 and the University of Baltimore School of Law, magna cum laude, in 2001 where he was an Editor of the Law Review. Jesse is the past-President of the Board of Directors for Mid-Shore Pro Bono, Inc. where he previously served as Vice-President and Treasurer. Jesse has also served as an adjunct professor at Chesapeake College teaching litigation research and writing to paralegal students. Jesse is a Fellow of the Maryland Bar Foundation and serves on the Maryland Judicial Nominating Commission.

Jesse can be reached by email at jhammock@parkercountslaw.com.

C. Lee Gordon, Partner

Lee Gordon focuses her practice on the areas of estate planning, estate administration and guardianships. She assists clients with the preparation of Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney, and Advance Medical Directives. Lee prepares federal and state estate tax returns and provides clients with pre- and postmortem estate tax planning advice. She also assists clients with real estate and business transitions.

Lee is originally from Baltimore, Maryland. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Politics from Washington & Lee University’s Williams School of Commerce and graduated from the University of Baltimore School of Law with honors. She served as a law clerk to the Honorable W. Newton Jackson, III in the Circuit Court for Wicomico County from 2007-2008. Lee has been an active volunteer for Mid-Shore Pro-Bono and was awarded the organization’s “Young Attorney Award” in 2009. Additionally in 2015, Lee was honored with being named a Super Lawyers’ Rising Star and has been named to What’s Up Eastern Shore’s list of Leading Lawyers for 2014 and 2015. Lee has served as the President of the Board for Christ Church Day School and as Treasurer for the Baker-King Fund. She is currently a member of the Talbot County Advisory Board for the Mid-Shore Community Foundation and the Board of Trustees of The Country School.

Lee can be reached by email at lgordon@parkercountslaw.com.

Peter Cotter, Associate

Since 2010, Peter has aided the residents of the Eastern Shore to resolve their civil litigation issues. Peter has experience in a wide array of civil litigation fields including divorce and child custody, guardianships, contract disputes, landlord tenant, consumer debt, Peace Orders and Final Protective Orders. Peter is also specially trained and often appointed by courts to represent minor children in custody disputes. Peter is a skilled negotiator who is a trained Collaborative Law practitioner. In addition to his private practice, Peter has been recognized for his pro bono contributions to the residents of the Eastern Shore. In 2011, Peter was named the Mid Shore Pro Bono Young Attorney of the Year. In 2013, the Young Lawyers Section of the Maryland State Bar Association, in collaboration with the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland, awarded Peter the 2013 “Maryland Pro Bono Service Alex Fee Memorial Award” in recognition of his dedication and success in representing indigent residents of the Eastern Shore. Peter has been a member of the Town of Easton Board of Zoning Appeals since 2012 and has served as its Chairman since 2013.

Peter is a native of Buffalo, New York and an avid Buffalo sports fan. In 2010, Peter graduated cum laude from SUNY Buffalo Law School, where he was a member of the Buffalo Law Review and a Note and Comment Editor in his final year. Before law school, Peter attended Bucknell University, from which he graduated magna cum laude in 2007, and was a member of the Bucknell University football team for all four years in attendance. Peter is licensed to practice law in New York and Maryland.

Peter can be reached by email at pcotter@parkercountslaw.com.

Kristen Graf Aronson, Associate

Kristen Graf Aronson focuses her practice on the areas of estate planning and estate administration. She assists clients with the creation of estate planning strategies and drafts Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney, and Advance Medical Directives tailored to meet each client's individual needs. She also assists with the administration of estates and trusts and matters relating to elder law.

Kristen obtained her undergraduate degree from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and graduated cum laude from Syracuse University College of Law in 2010. During law school, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Christopher B. Kehoe, and she entered into private practice upon graduation.

A native of Easton, Kristen and her family are proud to call the Eastern Shore home. She is active in the community and currently serves on the Advisory Committee for SOS: Sink or Swim, an organization dedicated to teaching children on the Eastern Shore to swim.

Kristen can be reached by email at kgraf@parkercountslaw.com.

Lynn Dymond Hutchinson, Senior Counsel

Lynn Hutchinson focuses her practice on the areas of estate planning, estate administration and elder law. She assists clients with the preparation of Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney, and Advance Medical Directives and with probate and trust administration.

Lynn is a native of Western Pennsylvania, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the Pennsylvania State University. She obtained her Certified Public Accountant’s license in Pennsylvania, working in the areas of Accounting and Finance for several large multinational corporations before attending law school. Lynn graduated With Honors from the University of Maryland School of Law, where she was a member of the Maryland Law Review, serving as its Notes & Comments Editor in her final year. She was admitted to the Bar in 1994.

Prior to moving to the Eastern Shore, Lynn practiced law for more than 14 years in Baltimore at several large law firms, representing health care providers, insurance companies, and manufacturers in various litigation matters and advising clients on risk management issues. Lynn lives in Dorchester County and is active in the community, currently serving on the boards of the YMCA of the Chesapeake and the Dorchester County International Council, Inc. Lynn previously served on the boards of the Dorchester Center for the Arts and the Dorchester Family YMCA.

Lynn can be reached at lhutchinson@parkercountslaw.com.

Richard Counts, Retired

Richard practiced in the areas of estate planning, estate and trust administration, and real estate law for over four decades. During his distinguished career, he worked diligently to meet the needs of countless clients and shared his expertise as a guest lecturer with the Maryland Institute of Continuing Legal Education. Richard also served as president of the Talbot County Bar Association and was on the Board of Trustees at Mid-Shore Community Foundation and the Country School in Easton, Maryland. Richard retired in 2015 and now spends time at his homes on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and in the Berkshires in western Massachusetts. Richard continues to act as a resource to the firm.